Force of Destiny
by janus-juan
Summary: Because no matter how much time passes or what tragedies occur, love will always find a way to shine through even the deepest Darkness. A compilation of flashbacks that center around the lives of Zack and Aerith, all leading up to an endearing ending.
1. That Day

**The members of Kingdom Hearts were rounded together in a completely furnished living room, each one occupying one of the available sofas and couches. **

"**Why are we here?" Riku asked, impatient.**

"**You got me." Leon replied gruffly, shrugging his shoulders. **

**Just then JAM came in from the door that led in and out of the room. "Hello, everyone. I'm sure you're wondering why you're here." He said and gained nods in return. **

"**Yeah. I mean, this isn't another chapter of Reconnect." Kairi said, looking around the room.**

"**You're half right." JAM responded. **

"**What do you mean?" Aerith asked, confused. **

"**This is a short mini-series that centers on a certain part of FF VII history." JAM explained. **

"**What's the point of this, again?" Donald asked. **

"**This story ties directly into my Reconnect story and gives the backdrop for a certain scene that'll be coming up soon." JAM continued. **

"**So, why didn't you just add this into the other story?" Namine asked and everyone agreed with her. **

"**Because, I got a little ahead of myself and just wanted to write it down. Besides, it's too long to add into Reconnect. Anyway, I hope my readers like the story and hope they would read my Reconnect story. I'd appreciate it." He then turned to the other inhabitants. "Disclaimer please." **

"**Janus-Juan doesn't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy." Sora said, yawning at having to say it.**

"**Thank you. Now, here's chapter one!" **

**Chapter 1: That Day**

The sun rose high above the expanse of the clouds, bathing the battered city in its golden light. Another day to be celebrated as no one had been snatched by the creatures of the dark known as the Heartless. Ever since Maleficent left the world's borders and Organization XIII was destroyed, Radiant Garden has become more peaceful than it has been for years.

In a small cottage beyond the borders of the city, a woman was just waking up at the break of dawn. Usually, the young adult didn't wake until a little later in the morning, but today was a special day. It's been two years now since someone very close to her had disappeared from her life, forever.

Moving towards a mirror, the girl stared at her reflection. She wore a shin-length pink dress that buttons up with the front with a red bolero jacket. She's wearing brown boots and metal bracers on her wrists and around the edges of her jacket sleeves. Her hair is drawn back in a thick plait with a large pink ribbon tied around it; within the ribbon she also keeps a green orb that was given to her by her mother. Her bangs are segmented and framed her face on the sides. Her green eyes looked over her appearance as she fixes her pink ribbon.

Heading out the door of her cozy home, Aerith goes and tends to the flowers that surround her house. She loves being able to enjoy this activity without the fear of anyone stepping on them. Bending down, she gently pulls out the weeds that were annoying the precious gifts from Mother Nature, placing them in a small pink bucket.

_**Another year has gone by since that tragic day.**_ She heard a whisper coming from all around her.

_Yes._ She thought back, a sad smile reaching her breathtaking features. She could feel the Planet trying to comfort her as a small wind picked up, making the flowers sway as if trying to get closer to her.

After a couple more minutes of making sure her plants had enough water and were in the perfect spot for sunlight, Aerith stood up and dusted the dirt off her pink dress. Taking one more look back at the place she calls her home, Aerith moved towards her destination.

A couple of yards from her house, a cliff overlooked the castle walls of Radiant Garden. Though it's not as extravagant as it was 12 years ago, Aerith is still mesmerized by how much has gotten done in a year. The barrier that surrounds the castle was being rebuilt at a steady pace and the postern has already been raised back up from its disheveled state. But she wasn't there to sightsee.

Right at the edge of the cliff, a large broadsword of about 5 to 6 feet in height stood. Even though it has been wedged within the ground for the past 2 years, the blade looks relatively new from as Aerith and her friend Cloud have kept it under mint condition since then. It serves as a shrine to a fallen comrade of the Restoration Committee and so had to be kept as dignified as possible.

Stepping up to the sword, Aerith placed her delicate hand on top of the handle. Closing her eyes, she began to reminisce through her memories of the man who used to own this sword. She still remembered the day they met, all those years ago.

**6 Years Ago:**

A 17 year old Aerith was on her knees in a broken down church checking on her bountiful beauties; to her, the flowers were like her children. She was wearing a blue and white dress with a red camisole underneath and white wedge sandals with pink straps. She had recently planted new seedlings a few meters away, right next to the daisies. Most would be surprised to see such rare delicacies blooming in such a place, especially with how little sunshine they got.

Suddenly, Aerith heard a noise above her head. It sounded like someone was yelling at someone else to stop. Then she heard the air being cut by what must've been a sword. Thinking they would just leave, the brunette went back to her babies.

That turned out to be wrong as a rumbling sound came from the roof and a second later the wooden planks collapsed underneath the weight of the person. The man, by the looks of his physique, took a nasty fall as he landed on top of some flowers.

Worriedly, Aerith brought her right hand to her mouth as she gasped. Standing quickly she walked over to the man's body. At first she thought the guy was dead as no regular person could fall from that height and leave, but when she got closer, she saw the rise and fall of his chest.

Cautiously she leaned over the man's body to get a better look at his face. The man had short spikey black hair and bangs that framed the sides of his face. He was taller than her by a couple of inches and had a well-built physique. He was wearing a black uniform, gloves, boots, and pauldrons on his shoulder blades. His torso was covered by a black sleeveless turtle-neck and had 2 leather belts strapped to his waist that held his loose-fitting pants up. He had a simple long sword with a curved guard attached to his back. He also wore combat boots.

_He's cute._ Aerith thought as she looked him up and down but then shook her head as she quickly reprimanded himself. _Get a hold of yourself, Aerith, you've got to think of a way to wake him up._

Bending down, Aerith tried shaking the strange man's shoulder to get a reaction out of him. That didn't seem to work so she tried shaking a little harder. The response she got was a small snore and she couldn't help but giggle.

Standing back up, she placed her right hand to her mouth and tried to wake him up with her voice.

"Helloo~." She said. That seemed to get a bigger reaction.

"Mom?" She heard him say. Glad she got something she tried again.

"Helloo~." She repeated herself and then the man's eyes opened up to reveal bright blue eyes with a hint of purple. They seemed to glow, which just made them even more wondrous to her.

"Hooray!" She exclaimed as she placed her hands together. He turned his head a bit before he saw her. His eyes seemed to lose their sleepiness as he did.

"Heaven?" He asked.

"Not quite." She corrected him, though inside she was giggling at his antics. "Church in the Slums." She told him as he sat up on his butt. Traverse Town's slums were usually an off-limits place to the higher class people.

He tried getting a better look at the mysterious girl as she did the same. She had both of her hands behind her back and she swayed back and forth on her feet. Seeing her smile, Zack's stomach started fluttering with butterflies.

"An angel?" He asked in awe at her beauty. She shook her head to dismiss the idea.

"No. I'm Aerith!" She corrected him again. The sweet sound of her voice caused him to blush a little. That and the fact that he just called her an angel didn't help any. Luckily, the girl turned around and so didn't see it.

"You fell from the sky." She told him, pointing up at the hole in the ceiling. She then turned around and smiled at him. "Scared me." She admitted.

"So you saved me, huh?" He got a little bit of his flirtatious personality back.

"Not really…" She again turned around, hands behind her back. She then put her right hand to her face and showed him what she did to wake him up.

"Helloo~! That's all I did." She said and then turned around when she heard his laughter. She blushed at the prospect that he was laughing at her but mostly because she liked hearing him laugh.

He then lay back down onto the wooden surface of the church and did a half summersault backwards. He placed his hands right next to his head and when his whole body was balanced above his head, the man used the ground to push himself up. He landed on his bent knees, and stood up, not missing a beat.

"Thank you so much, Aerith." He lowered his voice a bit, laying on the charm. I'm Zack." He introduced himself. Looking her over, Zack crossed his arms on his chest. "I have to repay you somehow."

"Don't worry about it." She followed along, smiling all the while.

"No, no…" She laughed at his persistence. He then moved a little bit to the side and adopted his thinking look, left hand underneath his chin. A moment later he snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. "Aha!" He said as he turned around. "Hey, how about one date?" He held his right pointer finger up to represent the number one. He smiled at her, trying to convince her.

Aerith's cheeks turned a light pink color as he said that, but she covered it up by turning around. "What is that?" She said a bit shyly, pretending to not know what it was. "Don't be silly!"

"But…" Zack said before bowing his head in disappointment. So much for his so-called charm. He then started walking a little ways away from her. Before he got far, he heard her voice call out to him.

"Stop!" He did as he was told; left foot stuck in mid-step about half a foot off the ground. "Don't step on the flowers!" She exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" He asked, slightly confused.

She seemed to be getting into one of her moods as she put her hands at her waist. She seemed sort of angry and disappointed. "Normally, people are more careful with flowers." She told him.

He seemed wistful as he answered her. "Well…I guess I'm not normal." He said cautiously. The director had told him to lay low. He then turned to the flowers. "Huh?" He asked as he leaned in to get a better look.

"You don't see a lot of flowers around here." He seemed impressed by how many flowers bloomed here. "They're like luxury items, right?" He asked her.

Aerith nodded. "They only grow here." She motioned to the patch of flowers. "Although I planted some outside my house, too." She said as she giggled.

Zack put his arms behind his head in his signature pose. "If I were you, I'd sell them." At her questioning glance, he continued. "City's full of flowers, your wallet's full of money." He told her while grinning.

Aerith thought about it for a while. "City, full of flowers…wallet, full of money…" She then turned to look at him. "Never thought of it that way." She then remembered something she wanted to ask of him.

"Hey, why were you up there in the first place?" Aerith asked him.

"Oh, that? I was following this Heartless on the roof when I fell." The creature would be long gone by now. So, he might as well head back. "Hey, I'm sorry to ask, but do you know how to get to the second district from here?" He asked as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"The exit?" She asked and received a nod in return. "That door over there." She pointed at a pair of double doors at the front of the church. She then turned to him and looked him in the eyes. "Going already?" She asked, a little bit saddened by his departure.

"Yeah, I better go." He said reluctantly. He really didn't want to go but Sephiroth would have his head if he didn't. He moved away with slight hesitation as he saw her eyes droop in sadness.

Just as he was getting close to the door, he stopped and turned back to the brunette haired girl, who was now crouching down in front of the flowers.

"So, are you always here?" He asked, trying to strike conversation, though he was curious.

"Yeah." She said, sadness etched in her tone. She was always alone, but this place brought her happiness. She then stood up and placed her hands behind her back, one massaging her right arm. "Hey, so are you going?"

He crossed his arms as he thought about it. "Hmm, I'm not sure…" He admitted. As he said this he heard silent footfalls coming towards him. He looked up a bit to see Aerith coming closer.

"I'll take you there, okay?" She offered hesitantly.

He shrugged his shoulders a bit at her offer, slightly confused. "…Where?" He asked.

She moved her gaze to the floorboards of the church and closed her eyes as she searched for a response. "Hmm, I'm not really sure…" She admitted.

He thought she was really cute when she was shy and got a bit cocky at being able to get that reaction from her. "You just want to spend more time with me, right?" He gave her a small grin as he said this.

She looked up at him then and looked him straight in the eyes. "Yeah" She whispered, being dead serious with the 19-year-old man in front of her.

Her response surprised him a bit and caused him to jump back a bit. "Whoa! Are you…Did you…?" He couldn't finish a sentence and so resorted to ruffling his spiky hair. An awkward silence filled the air as Zack tried to compose himself.

"Alright then, let's go." He told her as he motioned for her to follow him. She walked right behind him as they left the church.

"So these are the slums." He said as he looked around at his surroundings. It was a large open area that was surrounded by pieces of debris here and there. There were some pipes a little ways away from the church and an abandoned car right next to it.

"Yeah." She responded, afraid he would just run away at the sight. "If you walk a little, you'll be in the central slums. There are lots of people, and you can get to the first district, too." She turned to look at him better. "So I'll walk you over there." She offered again.

"If I can get out onto the streets, I guess I can figure things out from there." He didn't want to inconvenience her or take too much time away from her. "Okay, lead the way." He told her.

She nodded. "Okay, I'll show you the way to the central slums." She said before twisting around to stare at the street in front of them and then walking forward. Zack caught up to her and kept on walking right by her side.

As they walked they came across people who were enjoying a stroll on the streets and some stared at Zack and Aerith a bit suspiciously. Zack didn't let it bother him as he continued on. Just as they turned a corner, Aerith screamed.

"Monsters!" She yelled as two giant orange frog creatures with spikes on their backs appeared out of nowhere. By the look of the insignia on their chests, they were Heartless. Their golden eyes stared at them hungrily, marking them as their next victims.

"Ah, here we go." Zack said as he didn't let the spiny creatures intimidate him.

"Zack, let's run!" Aerith begged him to follow, grabbing onto his arm to lead him away. But Zack wasn't about to run away from a fight and gently dislodged his arm from her grip and grabbed a hold of the sword on his back.

"Don't sweat it! I'll protect you. I'll handle it." He promised as he got into his battle stance.

"You can?" She asked a bit nervous.

"Just stand back, so you don't get hurt." He instructed and she obliged as she hid behind the abandoned car. She looked up from her spot to see the fight, though.

Zack ran towards the nearest Heartless and swung down with his sword on the creature's stomach. The force of the attack caused the frog to fall on its back. He took this opportunity to bring move the sword from both hands to just his right as he fired a **Fire** spell at the creature. The Heartless started rolling around on its back as it tried to extinguish the flames.

Zack smirked at the response before he dodged a tackle from the other frog monster. He dodge rolled right behind its back and swung down on its back. This caused the creature to stumble before it caught itself and turned to face its opponent. The frog inhaled deeply and its belly grew in size. Suddenly, the frog opened its mouth and a greenish-brown gas escaped the confines of his body. Zack was unable to get out of the way in time and suffered the effect of the **Poison** attack. His body turned a greenish hue and his breath got shallow.

Reaching into his pocket, he quickly brought out a purple orb. Putting it up to his mouth, Zack quickly bit into it as he felt the damage he was receiving from the **Poison**. Almost immediately the **Remedy** he ingested got rid of his status problem. He muttered a simple **Cure** spell to replenish his health and went back to kicking some Heartless monsters.

He got back into his battle stance stared down at the giant frogs and then concentrated his breathing and energy. He raised the sword high above his head and transferred his power to his right hand. The creatures started to come closer when he brought the sword down on the creature on the right. The impact of the attack was so powerful, it created a shockwave where it was and even managed to destroy one of the monsters, only the small traces of darkness left. Just one more to go…

He saw the last Heartless gather up energy and dodge rolled out of the way in time to avoid its **Fire **attack. He then concentrated and raised his hand in the air. The result was that his hand started to glow a light blue color and then a giant ice cube appeared above the creature's head. The **Blizzard** spell took effect as the creature was frozen in solid ice. Zack took the opportunity and ran forward with his weapon in front of him. He sliced right through the encasing and sent it back to the darkness whence it came.

"Oh yeah!" He said as he twirled his sword out in front of him before placing it back on the magnetic harness on his back. The sword stayed in place where he put it.

Aerith chose this moment to stand up from her hiding spot and go over to Zack. "I feel so safe with you, Zack." She said, awestruck at the way he handled the creatures.

He turned around to face her. "Is that right?" He felt a bit of pride at being able to protect such a beautiful girl like Aerith from those dastardly Heartless.

"Yeah. You can beat up monsters. You're so strong." She complimented him.

"Strong, huh…" He said more to himself than her as she walked up to him. He seemed a bit down from what she said and she was confused.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, concerned at his sudden change of mood.

He looked up then and replied with a "No." before walking back to their designated path. "It's nothing." He said as he stopped. "Anyway, those things weren't tough at all!" He boasted. He then went back to his regular self as he put his hands at his waist. "So, did I look cool? A little?" He asked her and smiled a bit.

"Hmm…" She said, trying to mess with him a little.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, slightly put out.

She then walked over to stand right next to him. "Beats me." She said with a shrug which he reciprocated.

"Aerith, in these types of situations, you should be more…" He said but was interrupted by her.

"Hey, Zack. Let's go, okay?"

"Uh, helloo~?" He called out for her as she walked away. He then sprinted after her and then went right past her to the corner.

"Hey, wait." She called out before running to catch up with him. When she was at his side, they both walked right towards the next part of the slums; the housing areas.

"The central slums are this way?" He asked as he saw all the cozy houses around. He also took it upon himself to read the graffiti on the walls. Some were innocent while others should've been censored.

"Yeah." She told him.

"Hmm…"

"What is it?" She asked, trying to see what was wrong. He crossed his arms as he tried to put his thoughts into words.

"I guess the slums are just like any other city." He's heard nasty rumors about the slums from some of the people in the richer districts. He was expecting a place a little more dangerous than this.

"Of course." She giggled. "Many people have lived here for a long time." She told him. She then turned to stare at a large door to the north of their position. "Inside the gate there, there's a marketplace. It's fun because there are so many stores. You can go to the First District from there, too." She informed him.

They walked over to the marketplace, talking a bit about themselves. They then got to talking about how it was always so dark in Traverse Town as the sun never made a true appearance there.

"One day, I'll take you to see a beautiful sky, the real sky. I can take you on my Gummi Ship." He's been to many different worlds, each one with different looks and feels. He knew just where to take her.

She's been so used to living in Traverse Town for so long, that she forgot what a true sunshine looked like or what it was like inside a Gummi Ship. Last time she was in one was when she had to evacuate her home world and settle down in Traverse Town. Oh how she missed her home world. She looked up at him before moving her gaze back at the ground.

"It's not frightening at all. I know you're gonna love it." He promised her. Hearing the determination in his voice, she looked up and then nodded. She trusted him. He smiled at her response before he grabbed a hold of her hand and led her to the giant door.

"Come on, let's go." He told her as he maneuvered her through the metal entrance. As they made it through, Zack took in his surroundings.

"Hmm…" He said aloud. "Looks like an interesting place." He told his companion.

"Maybe we should look around?" She advised.

Just as they were about to look through the many stores, a little kid in a purple shirt crashed through them.

"Whoaaa! Watch out!" The little boy said.

"Hm? Oh, sorry…" Zack apologized. He really wasn't paying attention when the kid came barreling through.

"Be more careful!" The boy said before walking away. Aerith saw the little boy go with slight suspicion of what he did.

"Hey, Zack?" She got his attention. "You didn't just…" She asked, looking at where the boy was a second ago. "…lose something, did you? Like any of your belongings?" She turned to see his response.

"Did I lose something?" Zack wondered. "I don't think so…" He said as he checked through his pockets until he found out what happened. "Huh! Aaaaagh!" He exclaimed. "My wallet!"

Aerith's suspicions were confirmed and she saw his right hand go to his face. "It's gone?" She needed confirmation.

"Was it that kid?" He wondered before he got angry. "I'm gonna hunt him down!" He said as he got ready to follow after the kid, but Aerith stopped him.

"Zack, wait. I'm sorry, but I know that boy." She admitted.

"You know him?"

"There has to be a reason." She tried thinking of an explanation. "He would usually never do something like this."

"Whatever the reason, stealing is wrong. I'm gonna go find him, and…" He was suddenly interrupted by the brunette.

"Let's ask him why he did it. I'll bring him here." She said as she sprinted away to look for the little boy.

"Hey, Aerith!" He tried getting her attention, but she was already out of earshot. "She's gone…I'll have to look for him, too!" He said as he began his search.

After 20 minutes of searching for the little boy, and having to go ask for help from those who were no help at all, Zack had finally cornered the boy with Aerith. He then explained that he only took the wallet to pay for his mother's medicine since his was eaten by a monster. Zack tried offering to pay for the medicine but found out he didn't have enough. So, he went in search of the Heartless that took his wallet and brought it back to the boy. Zack listened to Aerith and let him off the hook as long as he promised not to steal again.

"Thank you, Aerith! Thank you, Mister!" The little boy said as he went to go buy the medicine he needed for his mom. Right before he left, however, he turned around to say one last thing. "Oh, and Happy Birthday, Aerith!" He then proceeded to leave.

This caught Zack's attention right away. "Wait, today's your birthday?" He asked her and saw her get all shy at the attention she was getting.

"Yeah, I turned 17 today." She said. She then felt a pair of gloved hands grab her delicate ones. She looked up to see Zack staring at her intently. His face then turned into a giant smile.

"Well why didn't you say so? We need to celebrate!" He exclaimed while squeezing her hands delicately. The feelings of his warm hands on hers caused her to blush before she shook her head.

"No, that's okay. I don't want to inconvenience you." She looked away.

Aerith gasped as she felt his gloved hand touch the bottom of her chin softly before he moved her face to look at him. He had a look of determination on his face and his eyes contained a fiery passion.

"You're no inconvenience to me." He told her, completely serious. He then broke his serious face and gave her one of his famous grins. "At least let me take you on a stroll around the marketplace." He offered.

"You really don't have to." She said shyly.

"Okay, let's go look around!" He didn't seem to hear her or ignored her plea as he dragged her over to an accessory shop that was placed nearby.

"Oh, hi, Aerith. Happy Birthday." The shopkeeper greeted the green eyed girl before turning to Zack. "Is that your boyfriend?" He asked the girl, pointing at Zack.

Aerith blushed at the implication but responded anyway. "Hmm…I'm not sure yet." She said, smiling a little as she looked at Zack from the corner of her eyes.

The clerk looked at Zack as he seemed familiar to him. He then snapped his fingers as he remembered. "Hey, aren't you…You are! The guy who was chasing that kid around!" He congratulated himself for his memory.

"I heard about you from the neighborhood folks." The clerk explained. "I thought you were some dumb outsider, but it turns out you're a pretty good guy!" He then rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm sorry we misjudged you." The man apologized. He then turned back to Aerith. "I have to say though, Aerith…You're not going to find a more decent, honest, kindhearted guy like this very often. This one has my stamp of approval. I hope you're happy together!" The guy then winked at her, causing her to blush yet again at what he was insinuating.

"No, he's not my boyfriend. I just met him." She stuttered, feeling a little shy before standing up straighter. "But maaaybe…There's something there. Maybe."

Zack was looking at the interaction in an amused way. He couldn't help but chuckle at seeing her all embarrassed and shy. It made him smile at her personality. He then composed himself as she turned to ask him something.

"Oh, wait…Can I take a look inside this store?" She asked him, waiting anxiously for his answer.

"So you really did just drag me here to shop." He tried to play around with her, but it seemed she didn't hear the joking tone.

"Then I won't." She said as she looked down, becoming crestfallen. He was again shocked by her response and tried to fix it.

"I'm just kidding! Go look as long as you like." He tried to raise her spirits as he liked it better when she was happy.

Aerith looked back up at Zack's eyes and smiled softly at him, causing his breath to hitch at her beauty. "Thanks." She said. "Just for a little bit. I promise." She said, still nervous he would get angry at her if she took too long.

She started looking at the rows and rows of merchandise the small store had while Zack looked around, rocking back and forth on his feet. Usually he wouldn't be caught dead at an accessory store like this; he would rather buy things through the Shinra superstore. But if it means spending time with Aerith, then he would suffer long hours in front of this store.

"You really like this store, huh?" He asked as he saw the way her eyes sparkled as she saw a new piece of merchandise.

"Yeah, it's fun just looking around." She admitted without turning around, keeping her eyes glued at the items.

"Hey, Aerith."

"Mm-hmm?" She asked.

"To show my gratitude for the wakeup call and to celebrate your birthday…I'll buy you something." He offered.

"Oh, you don't have to. You're repaying me with one date, right?" She reminded him.

"You told me 'Don't be silly!' remember?"

"Well…" Aerith replied.

"Come on, your birthday only comes once a year." He tried convincing her.

"Are you sure?" She asked, starting to give in.

Zack pumped his fist in confirmation. "Positive." He smiled warmly at her, showing her his bright white teeth. She giggled at his hyperactive nature. He reminded her of a puppy.

Looking back through the rows of accessories, Aerith saw one that really caught her eye. "Okay, this one." She said pointing at a nice pink ribbon inside the glass case.

The clerk pulled out his keys and opened the glass case to get the item Aerith chose. He picked it up gently and placed it right on Aerith's outstretched palms. Zack looked at the object and nodded in approval.

"All right, I'll go buy it." He told her as he pulled out his wallet. "I'll be right back." He said as he walked over to the clerk and paid for the little ribbon. He just wished he could buy her something a little more extravagant, but this choice showed him that Aerith wasn't materialistic. He hated girls like that.

As he returned to Aerith's side, he saw that she was trying to put on the ribbon on her hair. It was hard for her to see if she was doing it right because she couldn't see her actions clearly through the small mirror. So, Zack took the ribbon from her hands, causing her to look at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Here, let me help you." He offered and put moved his hand to her hair. Moving his fingers delicately, so as not to hurt her, Zack wrapped the pink ribbon around her thick plait hair.

"How's that?" He asked as he stepped back a bit.

"Did you put it on right? Will it stay on?" She said worriedly as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was afraid that she would lose her memorabilia of this day.

"It should be fine." He said looking it over again. He then gave her a thumbs up and a reassuring smile. "Yeah, it looks great!" He complimented her, making her cheeks color a little.

"Thank you, Zack!" She said as she admired the piece of cloth in her hair. "I'll always wear it from now on!" She vowed to both Zack and to herself.

"Hey, do you still have some time?" She asked, coming up with a plan.

"I guess so, why?" The question piqued his interest; he was curious as to see what she had in mind.

"Why don't we go to the park?" She asked, a smile on her lips. She was like a little kid, but that's what he liked about her.

"Whoa, that kinda sounds like a date!" He chuckled a bit but inside he was running around in joy.

"Uh-huh!"

"Okay, let's go." He said right before she grabbed a hold of his hand and led out of the marketplace and towards a hole in the wall. As they approached the hole, Zack noticed a playground and a sandbox were set up in the middle of a plaza. They walked in a comfortable silence for a while, each one reveling in the other's presence.

Aerith broke the silence. "So, ever meet any SOLDIER members?" She asked.

Zack stiffened a bit at the question and was glad that Aerith wasn't looking at him for he would be found out.

"Maybe." He said, dragging out the word. He was a terrible liar but hoped he could drag this out a bit longer.

"Do you think that they're happy?" She asked as she stopped walking and was now standing in front of a semi-circle with the face of a dog on it.

"What do you mean?"

"Heroes to children, protectors of the peace." She said but the way she did meant she had something to add. "But, they're not normal." Zack felt his stomach drop a bit but pretended it didn't bother him. "They get some kind of special surgery, don't they?" She asked.

They were now face to face with one another, but Zack tried keeping his gaze away from her eyes. One look in those green orbs and she would most likely see right through him.

"So they say." He kept up the façade.

"Normal is best. I think so, at least." She said softly. She also had a secret of her own and because of it decided that she'd rather be normal.

She continued. "Those SOLDIER people are kind of…weird." She said, not noticing the way Zack's demeanor dropped a bit.

"They're…weird, huh?" He was saddened by how she had judged him and the rest of the SOLDIERS.

"And they're scary." She admitted. "They fight, and they love it."

Zack decided it'd be best to stop pretending and so looked at her sadly. "Actually, I'm with SOLDIER." He revealed. He heard her gasp and apologize. He got scared that she was going to run away from him, never to be seen by him again.

An awkward silence filled the air as they looked away from one another. Zack ruffled his hair in nervousness and thought that it would be best if he left, until he heard Aerith's voice.

"So pretty…" She said making him look at her.

"The face?" He asked as he pointed at his face. He couldn't help but be a bit flirtatious at the moment. _Old habits die hard, I guess._ He thought.

She giggled at reaction before speaking again. "The eyes!" Ever since she saw him open his eyes back at the church, she was mesmerized by the way they sparkled in the light.

Feeling like he still had a chance, Zack walked forward until they were only a couple of feet from one another. "You like them? Then take a closer look." He beckoned her closer. He saw her move forward to get a better look.

"Eyes infused with mako energy." He explained before moving his face closer. "A SOLDIER trademark." He told her.

Now they were so close to one another that if he moved a little bit closer, their lips would touch. Aerith noticed this and blushed yet again before pushing on his shoulder for teasing her.

"Oh you!" She said, smiling as she pushed him at arm's length. Her actions caused him to let out a booming laugh, happy that their earlier talk was behind them.

"Color of the sky, right?" He asked her.

"Mm-hmm…" She kept staring at the way the eyes resembled the sky she's heard so much about and also staring in awe at the way they shifted to a greenish color at times. "…but not scary at all!" Her earlier fear of SOLDIERS disappeared in the short amount of time she's spent with Zack.

"I'll admit it, things haven't been normal at all lately." He told her before changing the subject. "What about you, Aerith? How's your life going?"

She giggled as she decided to play around with him. "I was thinking it would be a normal day, but then suddenly…Some guy fell out of the sky." She said in her joking manner.

"That's not all that bad." He followed along.

"Mm-hmm…" She gave him her most dazzling smile as he had made her normal day into the best day of her life. She was about to tell him so when she heard a ringing coming from his person. He noticed it too and told her to wait a second before digging in his pocket for his phone.

"Zack, get back to base, now. Genesis has attacked us." Zack heard Tseng say. He gasped at hearing the bit of news.

"On my way." He told Tseng before hanging up. He then turned his attention back to Aerith. "I'm sorry, but duty calls."

Aerith looked at him and nodded in understanding. He had a job to do after all, and she didn't want to stop him from doing it. "Well, I guess I should get going then." She gave him a small wave and then turned to walk away.

Before she moved too far, Aerith decided on voicing her insecurities. "Will I…see you again?" She asked, being hopeful that they would indeed meet again.

"Of course." He promised her, driving away her insecurities by the way his eyes showed he was telling the truth.

"I hope you're friend's okay, Zack." That surprised Zack as he never told her anything about Angeal.

"Huh?"

"You talk in your sleep." She had heard him mutter something about wanting to help out a friend and decided she wanted to wish Zack luck.

"Yeah, it'll be fine." He reassured her. _"_I know that now." His time with Aerith had driven him out of his depressive state and returned him back to his optimistic self.

That was the beginning of their relationship and though it lasted a short while, every second was like heaven to them. Zack would take time away from his job to come and visit her and on his days off, he would take her out somewhere. He once made her a flower cart to transport the little money makers around the slums. Sometimes he would help her with her rounds, but would usually scare the customers away with his hyperactive personality.

"**And there you have it." JAM said. **

"**How did this come to be?" Kairi asked the author. **

"**I actually thought of this idea months ago but it wasn't until I was replaying Crisis Core that I got true inspiration to write this." JAM explained. **

"**So, this has to do with Zack and I?" Aerith asked. **

"**Yep! I have one scenario that I'm sure my readers would like and I needed to give an explanation to it." JAM said. "Anyway, what did you guys think? Liked it? Hated it? Don't hesitate to tell me what you think. Just please, no flames!" **

"**I thought you said they could say anything." Riku raised his eyebrow.**

"**I know, but I'd still like it if they were nice about it." JAM whined. **


	2. Reminiscing

"**Dang, another chapter so fast?" Roxas seemed mildly impressed.**

"**Yep. I just got so motivated." JAM explained. He then turned his attention to the readers. "Alright, here's chapter two of Force of Destiny. I'll be doing the disclaimer this time." **

"**Really?" Kairi asked. **

"**Mm-hmm. Anyway, I don't own anything and I never will. Wish I did, though…" JAM thought about what he would do if he **_**did**_** own it. He then shook his thoughts aside. "Anyway, here's the next chapter." **

**Chapter 2: Reminiscing**

Aerith sat down right in front of the grave marker, not caring if her dress got dirt on it. Her walk down memory lane had filled her heart with warmth yet also filled it with sadness. Zack was her first love and she had never forgotten about all the times they shared together. She giggled as she remembered the time while they were trying to sell some of her flowers to make Traverse Town look a bit livelier.

**Flashback:**

"Do you think we'll sell a lot of flowers?" Aerith asked him as they set up shop in the neighborhood playground.

They had gone with the most bizarre looking of the wagons that day to see how popular it was. Zack had enjoyed building this one more than the other ones as it looked the coolest to him. Aerith was a bit skeptical but chose not to ruin Zack's optimistic spirit and so kept quiet.

"Yeah, it's really cute! I like it." Zack told her, too excited to see how it didn't fit that description. It looked for futuristic than anything else.

Suddenly, a man in a lab coat entered the playground, seeming fascinated by the wagon as he walked forward to them.

"What is this!" He asked with his head cocked in curiosity. "I've never seen a model like this before! Is it a new weapon?" The man asked excitedly.

Zack stepped back in shock at the man's comment. "No!" He yelled. "It's a flower wagon! Can't you tell?" Zack motioned for the man to look at the wagon again.

Trying to stop the conversation before it got out of hand, Aerith spoke up. "Would you like to buy a flower?"

"No…" The researcher responded, but he was still looking at the wagon. Zack caught sight of this.

"What are you staring at…?" Zack asked.

The man turned to face Zack directly, returning to his eager self. "Could you sell me this vehicle for 10,000 munny?" He offered. "I may be able to convert it into a powerful weapon." The man explained.

"No deal!" Zack turned down the offer. "I made this wagon from scratch for Aerith! You can't put a price on something like that!" Zack said passionately.

Aerith adopted a thinking pose. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to fill our wallets full of money first…" The whole reason for the flower wagon and its content was to earn more money. It had been Zack's idea after all…

Seeing Zack's disappointed face, Aerith broke out of her thinking pose and broke into a grin. "Hehe…I'm kidding, silly!" Aerith giggled at how gullible her boyfriend was.

This response pleased Zack as he let out a sigh and lowered his tense shoulders. "Okay, buddy, if you're not buying, then move along!" Zack told the researcher. The man turned on his heel and left after that. "Some people…" Zack muttered.

Just then Zack and Aerith turned at hearing voices approaching. "This is where it was sighted." They heard one of the men say as they entered the vicinity.

Three infantrymen rushed inside the playground. "Unidentified weapon sighted! Preparing to engage!" The man in front ordered the other two. This caused Zack to become exasperated.

"Oh, come on! It's just as flower wagon!" Zack told them.

The men looked at the object over a bit before the man in front turned to look at his two companions. "Looks like a false alarm men! Alright, let's get back to headquarters." The men instructed them before all three men walked out of sight of Zack and Aerith.

Zack's torso fell forward to where he was staring down at the ground, arms sagging in defeat. He felt crestfallen and disappointed that all the flower wagon seemed to attract was trouble. He was about to apologize to Aerith for messing things up again before he felt two arms surround him. He stood straight when he felt Aerith nuzzled her head on his back. He blushed a bit when she did.

"Don't worry, Zack. What matters is that we had fun today." She told him, trying to raise his spirits.

He still felt a bit sad as he maneuvered them to where her head was now placed on his chest and he put his arms around her small waist while his chin rested on top of her brown locks. "Yeah, but, I disappointed you, Aerith."

Aerith looked up into his eyes when he said that. Green met sparkling blue as she shook her head. "Don't say that. You could never disappoint me." What she said came from her heart. "Besides, I quite like the wagon you made; even if it isn't as cute as the other two." She told him, smiling sweetly to show she was playing around.

Zack's face broke into a grin as he chuckled at her personality. Then, his smile turned into a smirk. Aerith looked at him quizzically before she let out a squeak as she was hoisted into the air and was supported by two strong arms that held her bridal style. She buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck so she wouldn't fall.

"Zack! Stop!" She said but her voice was laced in laughter as she talked. "People are watching." Sure enough, they had drawn a crowd of little kids that were watching them from the monkey bars. Zack didn't relent as he used his unoccupied arm to wave at them.

After a while, Zack finally set Aerith down right next to the wagon, his hands still holding onto her hips while her arms were still around his neck. Their faces were only a couple of centimeters from one another. From a couple of feet away, they heard the kids yell out comments at them.

"Kiss, kiss, kiss!" A little girl in a white dress said.

Staring into each other's eyes, Zack and Aerith relayed their undying love for the other. Zack leaned forward as his eyelids shut closed. Aerith reciprocated the action and everything seemed to go in slow motion. After what seemed like eternity both of their lips met together in a gentle kiss; it was a kiss with a touch of gentleness, providing a very sweet, comforting, assuring feeling. Their lips moved with one another while trying to make this last as they wouldn't be able to see one another for a while.

"EW! That's gross!" An eight-year-old boy said, sticking out his tongue in distaste. The other girl bopped him upside the head for saying such a thing and the boy apologized to save his young life.

After a while, both parted from their sweet act as they needed to refill their lungs with oxygen. They stood breathless as they sucked in great gulps of air. Zack was about to kiss her again when he heard giggling coming from the jungle gym. He turned around to see the intent faces of 5 eight-year-olds. Aerith saw them, too, and broke away from their embrace, blushing at having an audience. Zack rubbed the back of his neck in slight embarrassment.

The crowd of kids all uttered the exact same phrase. "Ooohhh…" They said as they leaned forward to take a closer look. This caused Zack to smirk at the little kids.

"Don't you know it's not polite to stare?" He asked them before he started advancing on the kids. "Guess I'll have to get my friend to teach you all a lesson." He then raised his hands in the air and wiggled his fingers. "Prepare to face the wrath of the tickle monster!" He yelled as he ran towards the small children.

The kids screamed in delight as they scattered to avoid the wrath of the tickle monster. Zack was chuckling as he chased after his 'victims'. Aerith couldn't help but admire how great with kids Zack was. She was sure that he would make a wonderful father one day. She blushed as she imagined herself right beside him as he taught a young Zack to ride a bike and fail miserably at fixing their daughter's hair.

She was brought back to the present when she heard Zack chuckle behind her. Turning around she came face to face with her worst nightmare; Zack approaching her with full intent of tickling her. She was extremely ticklish and so she wouldn't have to face the torture, took a step back every time he took one forward.

"I'm warning you, Zack. Don't get any closer." She said as she kept on backing away. She was about to make a run for it when her back met the wall of the jungle gym. She looked around and saw that she had nowhere to go. She looked back at Zack and gulped as she embraced her destiny.

When Zack's fingers wiggled against her stomach, she couldn't control her actions as she erupted into full blown laughter. Zack smiled as he moved his hands over her stomach and to her ribs. It seemed that her sides were far more sensitive because her laughs increased in magnitude and volume.

After a couple of minutes have passed, Zack pulled his fingers away from her body to let her catch her breath. She was still letting out giggles as she regulated her breathing before she turned her head away from him and walked toward the flower cart. Zack followed after her to try and calm her down.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help myself." He tried to explain himself but Aerith chose to ignore him, although she trouble keeping a frown on her face when he started fumbling on his words. "Oh, come on, Aerith. I was just having a little fun, is all." He whined.

Aerith, who had been pushing the cart along, stopped and turned to give him a glare that chilled him to the bone. "You know how ticklish I am, yet you still did it, and you expect me to forgive you?" He winced a little.

Suddenly, Aerith's glare turned into a smile as she turned back around to grab hold of the wagon. "Well, I guess I could forgive you, if you move the cart for me." She told him and barely had time to blink before the wagon was released from her grip and Zack was three feet away.

"Well, shall we get going, then?" He asked her as he impatiently rocked on his feet. The actions made her think of a puppy wanting to go out and run around the yard. She giggled as she followed after him.

They had to hurry so they could have a little bit more time to themselves before he had to go away on a mission again. Neither knew that that would be the last time they saw each other again.

**End Flashback:**

She had always joked that the carts he made weren't cute enough or that she wanted a nicer one. She had only said those things to spend more time with him. She'd actually loved all the hard work and dedication he had put into making them, just for her. In fact, she still had every single one of the wagons he had made for her. She had moved them from the church in Traverse Town and put them in her cottage.

Looking at the large sword, Aerith was reminded that it had taken another master after Zack's death. This one being a man who had the hair of a Chocobo; hence the nickname Yuffie had dubbed him with, Chocobo-Head. She remembered the first time they met. In fact, it was Zack who had introduced them, way back then.

**Flashback:**

"Honey, I'm home!" Aerith heard the distinct sound of Zack's voice ring around the church. "And I brought someone to help sell the flowers." He continued. This caught her curiosity as she stood up from her spot near the flowers and turned to see two men entering her sanctuary.

The one on the left was obviously Zack, the large sword on his back and the crazy hairstyle proved it, but the other was someone she'd never seen before. He was wearing blue clothing that had several belts and straps hooked on it and a green-grey piece of cloth around the collar. Around his right shoulder he had a strap that carried his gun. From where she was, she could tell that his eyes were a light blue shade and seemed to glow a bit; not as much as Zack's, though. His golden hair was spiked up and reminded her of a Chocobo's fur. She giggled a bit as she made that connection.

"Hey, Zack." She said as she walked over to the two. "I was wondering when you would come over."

The statement caused Zack to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Aerith. I meant to come sooner but work kept us longer than we thought it would. But that's why I brought my friend here." He then motioned for his friend to step forward.

"And who's your friend?" Aerith asked.

The spiky-haired blond extended his right arm, palm stretched out for Aerith to take. "Hi, my name is Cloud. It's nice to meet you."

Aerith smiled as she raised her own arm and grabbed a hold of his extended hand. "I'm Aerith." She said as she proceeded to shake his hand. After a couple of shakes, their hands separated. She then turned around and walked over to the back of the church. "So, shall we get started?" She asked over her shoulder.

"We'll be right there." Zack called out to her and her nod in response before she went to get the flower wagons. When she was gone, Zack turned around to stare at Cloud.

"So, was I right?" Zack asked his best friend, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Cloud nodded his head as he whispered his response. "You were right, Zack. She _is_ an angel and you're lucky to have her." This caused Zack to be filled with pride but pushed that feeling aside as he saw his friend frowning slightly.

"Aw, don't worry, Cloud. Soon you'll join SOLDIER and then Tifa will be all over you." Zack elbowed his friend while winking. Just thinking of his childhood friend made him blush; he's had a crush on her ever since they were children. Zack started laughing at seeing Cloud turn into a tomato.

"I'm back!" Both men heard Aerith say as she entered the room with the 'cute' cart as she dubbed it. Out of the three, this one seemed to attract more customers.

"Great!" Zack said as he took the wagon from his girlfriend. "So, shall we go?" He asked her.

"Sure! Let me just—Shoot!" Aerith said as she reached inside her pocket. Zack and Cloud grew confused when she frantically patted her dress.

"What's wrong?" Zack asked.

"I must've left the church key in the back room." She said as she frowned. She then looked up at her boyfriend with a puppy dog face. "Zack, be a dear and get them for me."

"Sure. I'll be right back." He told them as he disappeared into the back room. When he was out of sight, Aerith turned to the spiky-haired teen.

"So, are you a SOLDIER like Zack?" She asked as she tried to start a conversation.

"No, I'm just an infantryman. But I've worked with him on some occasions." He told her how it was his dream to join SOLDIER to keep a promise he made to a friend of his named Tifa. When he was done, he saw that Aerith was swooning a bit.

"What a romantic story!" Aerith gushed as she clasped her hands together in front of her. Cloud blushed at her insinuations. Just then Aerith broke out of her fangirl mode to stare down at the ground.

"Hey, Cloud." Aerith's voice seemed a bit sad as she talked causing Cloud to tilt his head in curiosity. "May I ask something of you?" She asked.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Can you make sure that Zack stays out of trouble?" Cloud was taken aback at the request. Why would someone as big and strong as Zack need someone like him to take care of him. Seeing his face, Aerith continued. "It's just, I worry about him. I don't know if one day he'll go on a mission and never come back. I couldn't bear it if—." She started crying as she stopped herself.

Cloud was panicking now. He was terrible at dealing with people when they were crying. He tried to calm her down before Zack came back. Who knew what he would think when he saw his girlfriend crying while Cloud was standing there.

"Please don't cry, Aerith." He tried getting through to her. "You don't have to worry about Zack; he can take care of himself. But, if you'd like, I could look after him for you." He said and the motion caused Aerith to stop crying.

"You mean it?" She asked, still sniffling a bit.

"I promise." He reassured her with a smile.

Aerith smiled back at Cloud while using her fingers to get rid of the moisture on her cheeks. "Zack is lucky to have a friend like you." She told him before reaching out and giving the teen a hug of appreciation. Cloud hesitated for a second before bringing his arms up to embrace her back.

Zack chose that very moment to come into the room. "I found them! They were in the—"He stopped himself as he saw the scene that was taking place. "Am I interrupting something?" He asked, casually leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed at his chest.

Cloud and Aerith jumped back from each other as if they've been burned. Both turned to see the emotionless face of Zack staring at them carefully.

"It's not what it looks like!" Cloud started. "She was just thanking me for—"He was interrupted as Zack let out a booming laughter.

"Don't worry, Chocobo-Head. I trust the both of you too much to ever be suspicious of anything." He told them as he left his post and walked over to grab a hold of Aerith's waist and planted a loving kiss upon her lips, which she returned. Cloud stood there feeling awkward at witnessing such a spectacle. They kept that up for a while before Zack pulled back and walked over to the flower cart.

"Ok, let's go sell some flowers!" He screamed enthusiastically as he dashed away with the cart. The other two chuckled as they followed after the SOLDIER. Both had secretly decided to keep their promise a secret so Zack that doesn't believe that they don't trust his strength.

**End Flashback:**

Cloud had kept his promise to Aerith during the times they were paired together on missions. He viewed Zack as a role model, hero, and even as an older brother. And that's why it hurt him so much when Zack had died before his eyes. They've become the best of friends during their short time together and both Zack and Aerith have viewed him as a younger brother; always protecting him from harm. Yeah, Cloud was actually the youngest of the three.

Thinking of how Cloud behaved now, she wouldn't believe that both Clouds were one in the same. Cloud used to be a shy teen that couldn't help but show emotion all the time, and now he was an enigma, someone who didn't show emotion, and tried with all his might to save those around him.

She remembered vividly their encounter almost 2 years ago when he returned from his long overdue stay at the Olympus Coliseum. At first, Aerith didn't recognize him. But after seeing his unique hairstyle and glowing blue eyes, she had embraced him in a reunion hug. She remembered standing there, hugging him, while he just stood still like a statue. She had asked him what had happened on that mission they had taken and why he was found in Olympus. They were supposed to have gone to take care of some things in a place called Hollow Bastion before returning home. That's when she noticed something.

"Where's Zack?" She had asked and physically felt the man in front of her stiffen at the name. She moved back a bit to look up into his face and then into his eyes. What she saw made her gasp.

His usual glowing eyes seemed dull and hazy as if remembering something painful. His shoulders were tense and he was staring down at the ground, away from her face. She had put two and two together and broken down where she stood. If it wasn't for Cloud's sturdy grip, she would've surely have fallen on the wooden ground. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she cried in mass hysteria. She vaguely heard Cloud muttering apologies in her ears as her heart shattered into a million pieces.

"**Whoa." Sora said.**

"**Yeah, I was surprised, too. I just sat down and wrote this while watching Crisis Core cutscenes." JAM said, looking at his writing.**

"**When are you going to tell us how he died?" Aerith said as she cleared away the tears from her eyes.**

"**Next chapter is a flashback to that specific scene." JAM promised her. "Just so everyone knows, I'm changing the death scene from Crisis Core."**

"**But, why?" Naminé asked. **

"**Because, I had an awesome idea while watching the Sephiroth/Cloud fight from KH2." Everyone cringed as they saw JAM rubbing his hands together in insane glee. **

"**Oh my god, I'm afraid." Sora said. **

"**You better be!" JAM said before bursting into maniacal laughter. A second later, JAM turned to stare at the audience. "Alright, you know the drill. Press the button right below this entry and tell me what you think. I hoped you liked it." **


	3. Melancholy

"**Man, this chapter was really hard to write." JAM said. **

"**Why?" Sora asked. **

"**Because knowing the ending of the chapter made it hard to continue." JAM said. "And before you ask, you'll just have to read to find out what I mean." **

"**Ok…" Sora responded with a brown eyebrow raised in confusion. **

"**Anyway, I don't own the characters, but the plot of this chapter is undoubtedly mine." JAM said. "Now, let's begin." **

**Chapter 3: Melancholy**

After minutes of crying her eyes out, Aerith had finally run out of tears. She looked around to see that she had been moved to one of the library's couches. She also noticed that everyone else had left, leaving her alone in the large room.

"I told the others to leave." She heard someone say. She was a bit confused as she didn't see anyone around, but that changed when Cloud turned the corner of bookcase and walked over to her, a glass of water in his hand.

"Thank you." She said as he handed her the glass, throat sore from all the sobbing. She drank water until her throat expanded and her vocal chords worked again before setting the glass down on a nearby table. "What exactly happened?" She asked, voice having gone monotone.

"Are you sure you want to hear this now?" He asked her. She's already been through a lot and he wasn't sure she was ready to hear the recap. But that wasn't the only reason he asked; he remembering the experience will be painful to him too. The event still haunted him day in and day out.

She didn't have to think twice before she nodded her head. Cloud sighed heavily as he motioned her to a table big enough for them to sit against. Each took a seat in front of it, both sitting opposite one another so they could see every reaction the other showed. Things were silent for a while until Aerith got tired of it and motioned Cloud to begin, which he did, albeit reluctantly.

"It was supposed to be a routine job. You know, get rid of some Heartless here and there." He gave off a light chuckle. "Boy were we wrong." He then started the tale of sadness and betrayal.

**Flashback:**

"Man, this place gives me the creeps." Zack said as he surveyed his surroundings. The place really lived up to its name, Hollow Bastion. So far the only thing they've seen has been waves upon waves of Heartless, yet no people.

They had arrived on a narrow strip of land that stood stationery on sea level. Surrounding it was a frozen lake of some kind and floating pieces of ice that served as stepping stones from there to a platform that would take them to a large eerie building far away. When they got close enough, they had noticed that the building was actually a giant castle that had pipes sticking out from every which way.

"I thought SOLDIER members weren't scared of anything." Cloud poked fun at his friend.

"I didn't say I was scared, I just said that this place was creepy." Zack defended himself.

"Sure. Whatever you say." Cloud rolled his eyes at Zack's bravado attitude.

"You don't believe me, well—"Zack started but was cut off by Sephiroth's voice.

"If you two are done goofing off, we'd better get on with the mission." The general told them before walking towards the large set of double doors that led inside.

"Hey! Wait for us!" Zack called after the silver-haired general but got no response. "Shit. Come on, Cloud." Zack motioned for his friend to follow him as he started running towards the entrance.

Upon entering the large structure, they were greeted by a giant room. The room had a large fountain right in front of them, with two staircases on both sides of the fountain that led to a second floor. On the far left of the staircase, there was a door that led them to the library while straight past the fountain was a door that held the Heartless insignia. That door seemed to be looked by some kind of mechanism.

"Whoa, would you look at this place." Zack marveled at the magnificence of his surroundings. Though it was all dark and kind of spooky, it had some sort of appeal to it.

"Hmm…" Sephiroth contemplated on something.

"What's the matter?" Zack asked.

"Doesn't it seem strange that there haven't been any Heartless around?" Sephiroth mused.

"Now that you mention it, yeah." Zack agreed that it seemed weird. He looked around the room, skeptically.

"But, isn't that a good thing?" Cloud asked.

"No enemies usually mean a trap. Keep on your guard, everyone." Sephiroth instructed of them as he drew _Masamune_. Zack unhooked the _Buster Sword_ from behind his back and stood at attention while Cloud held onto his gun as tightly as he could.

Suddenly, several Heartless appeared. The enemies consisted of Darkballs, Wizards, and Defenders that were staring at the intruders with murderous and hungry golden eyes that would usually cause a chill to go down people's spines. But these warriors weren't afraid of them as they got in their battle positions.

The Darkballs struck first as it tried chomping down on Cloud's head. Before it could do any damage, Cloud put his gun in between him and the enemy and sent a barrage of bullets inside its body. The attack caused the Heartless to become stunned and gave Cloud enough time to unhook his own sword from his back and slice down on the giant black ball.

"Good work, Cloud!" Zack congratulated Cloud on his victory before going to attack a platoon of Wizards. They were advancing on the black-haired man from all sides.

Zack observed the situation before an idea came to mind. He waited a little while longer, until they were only a couple of feet away from him. He then moved his free hand so that he was gripping onto the _Buster Sword_ with both hands. Zack then spun his body around and activated the **Assault Twister** attack on the Wizards. The attack allowed him to strike on all the Wizards multiple times. When he was done, he noticed that the Wizards were disoriented and confused. Taking the opportunity, Zack bent down on his knees and used the ground to propel himself high up into the air. Just as the Wizards were getting back into reality, Zack crashed down in the middle of the platoon. The shockwave that followed effectively destroyed the Heartless.

Sephiroth had no trouble going after the Defenders. Their shields were useless against the onslaught of attacks Sephiroth performed as he drove _Masamune_ right through their bodies. Soon they all disappeared right back into the Darkness whence they came.

"Well, that was easy." Zack said as he placed the _Buster Sword_ back on his back.

"Yeah, maybe a little too easy." Sephiroth said, ever the cautious man.

Just then a dark fog appeared inside the room and surrounded the heroes. The fog was so thick they could barely see anything around them.

"What the heck's going on?" Zack asked as he tried to find his friends. Taking a step forward, he was unlucky enough to step on some sort of trap door that led him down somewhere. Cloud heard a thump and started walking to the origin of the noise, but he met the same fate as he fell down a long tube.

Sephiroth was wise enough to stay in his spot as the smoke disappeared. When the last bit of darkness had gone, he found himself alone in the large room.

"It seems you're smarter than your friends." He heard a woman's voice echo inside the room.

"And you are?" He asked the source of the noise, voice strangely calm.

A portal of Darkness appeared on the balcony atop the fountain and a woman appeared. She had pale green skin and yellow eyes that were heavily shadowed with violet make-up and lips that were painted red. This dark witch's head is topped with a black-horned headdress and she wears a long, tattered black robe with a purple trim and maroon flare edges. She carries a staff with a glowing green orb at the tip that must be used to cast magic spells.

"I am Maleficent, the Mistress of all Evil!" She said as she raised her arms high into the air to emphasize her comment.

"Am I to assume that you're also the one who's brought the Heartless onto this land?" Sephiroth asked.

"And what if I am?" She asked as calmly as him.

He got into his battle stance and readied _Masamune_ to deal a killing strike at her. He was about to attack when she spoke again.

"Are you really the kind of man who wants to protect other people from trouble? Or would you rather bring upon fear to the population and govern over them?" She inquired.

"I'm listening." He said, standing up straight.

She smirked as she grabbed his attention. "You seem to be strong as you are, but you lack something."

"And what's that?"

"Absolute power." She told him. "And I can give it to you, but you must give in to the powers of darkness to obtain it." She continued and then waved her wand high above her head. A dark green hue colored the tip of the wand and then Sephiroth's body was surrounded by a black aura.

The man's green cat-like eyes started to glow as he ingested the Darkness the witch gave him, becoming blue in color. His body began to transform as he took in more and more of the dark essence. A black and red fin appeared on his right arm, but the most notable change was the large dark blue wing that sprouted right out of his back. He grunted as the wing grew in length but didn't cry out in pain.

When the transformation was complete, the man looked up at the witch, giving her an evil smirk as she surveyed his change.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"Like I can cut a building in half without even trying." He responded. "But what do you want in return?" He asked skeptically.

"Dispose of the black-haired boy." Maleficent told Sephiroth.

"Understood. And what of the other boy?" Sephiroth asked.

"Tarnish that innocence he seems to hold so dear." Maleficent said before using her wand to transport herself away.

Sephiroth smirked to himself as he thought up an ingenious way of doing so. "I know just the way to destroy his soul." Sephiroth then proceeded to laugh evilly as he disappeared in a flurry of dark feathers.

**/**

"AHHHHH!" Zack screamed as he fell down the chute and into what appeared to be a cell of some kind. Bars lined the entrance to the room, blocking him from escaping. A small window was placed high above his head, showing that he was in an underwater dungeon.

"You think this place can hold me?" He yelled to no one in particular. "Well, it can't." He said before reaching behind his back to grab a hold of his sword, getting into the perfect position to strike down the bars.

Just as he was about to put his plan to action, he heard a noise coming from above his head. Turning his head up, he saw a vent system that echoed some sort of yell. A second later, the door to the vent crashed open as a mass of blond hair broke right on through. Zack didn't have time to move out of the way and so was crushed by Cloud's body.

Cloud rubbed at his aching head as he looked around the cell. "Where am I?" He asked aloud and got a sort of mumbled response coming from below him. Raising an eyebrow he looked down to see his best friend talking into the dirt. Quickly, Cloud jumped up from his spot to give his friend some room to get up.

"Sorry." Cloud apologized. Zack stood up from the ground and stretched his tired body. He even resorted to doing squats to relieve his aching muscles. He smiled when he felt his spine realign itself because of his antics.

"Don't worry about it, Cloud. I'm fine." Zack told him and flashed him smile. "Now, what do you say we get out of here?" Zack said as he got back into his original position.

Zack concentrated on what he was about to do and a second later created a diagonal strike on the door in front of him. The force of the attack was so great that it created a hole large enough for them to escape from.

"Come on." Zack motioned Cloud to follow, but the blond had a pensive look. "What's wrong?" Zack questioned.

"How exactly are we supposed to get out of an underground prison?" Cloud asked.

"Uh…" Zack was stumped, but he shrugged his shoulders to show he didn't care. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there." He told Cloud and then left the room. Cloud sighed before following after his friend.

They walked onward until they found themselves in a small dark and barren hallway. Zack looked around for a means of escape but all he could find was a giant bubble at the end of the hallway. He raised his eyebrow in confusion at seeing such a thing.

"Well, this is weird." Zack said.

"What is?" Cloud asked as he surveyed the hall. He then took a look at the giant bubble and went over to it.

"I can't find a way out of here." Zack told him.

Cloud was too busy inspecting the bubble to hear his friend. For no apparent reason, he felt the sudden urge to touch the thing. His body moved on its own accord as he placed his palm on the bubble. He heard a small pop before his body was encased in bubble made completely out of air and then he was transported under the large barred door. Before he could move, he was already deposited onto a frozen lake.

Cloud quickly stood up and surveyed the scene. He was standing on what appeared to be a frozen lake and was surrounded by ledges and what appeared to be switches. Towards the far left, he saw a middle sized platform that bared resemblance to the one they used to reach the castle. As he walked over to it, he noticed something was missing. Or rather, someone.

He turned back around and saw that the bubble that was there a second ago had disappeared. He was about to start panicking when the darn air pocket propelled itself from underneath the lake and into the air. He gave a sigh of relief when he saw the bubble pop and saw Zack falling onto the patch of ice.

"Zack! Are you ok?" Cloud asked as he went over to help his friend up. The First Class SOLDIER shook his head to try and get rid of his disbelief and then took a hold of Cloud's hand to lift himself up.

"I'm okay." Zack told him and then clapped his hand on the blonde's back. "Great detective work, Cloud! I never would've thought such a means of escape was possible." Zack then walked over to the platform.

"Heh. Neither did I." Cloud whispered to himself. How did he know that would work and not make things worse? Cloud didn't have time to think too heavily on the subject as he heard Zack yelling at him to hurry it up. "I'm coming!" He yelled back and went over to stand on the elevator.

With the push of the blue crystal it turned to an orange color and the thing they were standing on lifted them high into the air and towards the Castle Gates.

As they rode the expressway to the top, Cloud turned to his friend. "Hey, Zack." Cloud said and when he got Zack's attention, he continued. "Where do you think Sephiroth is?" The blond asked.

"I don't know man. I don't know" Zack told him before smiling. "But don't worry. That guy can take care of himself."

**/**

After fighting through a bunch of Heartless, Zack and Cloud finally reached their destination; the Entrance Hall. It was in this very spot where they were unceremoniously thrown into the dungeon. They were about to head towards the library when flames shot from underneath the door, creating a barrier comprised of green fire. The shock of what just happened caused both men to jump back in surprise.

"What the heck?" Zack asked as he looked at the firewall with wide eyes.

Suddenly they heard a maniacal cackle fill the room, the sound causing a shiver to go down Cloud's spine and for Zack to get on his guard.

"Who's there?" The man with black hair yelled out, awaiting an answer from the disembodied noise that filled the room a second ago.

"I think the real question is who's trespassing in my castle?" A witch's voice rang.

"Your castle?" Zack asked.

"That is correct. I've, ah, acquired it, if you will." The witch said.

"And you haven't run into any trouble with the Heartless running around?" Zack said.

"They wouldn't dare harm me." She responded.

"And why's that?" Just as he asked that question, a burst of fire appeared on the balcony above the fountain. Looking carefully, both men could see the distinct shape of a woman within the confines of the flames. When the fire faded away, Maleficent stood in front of them.

"Because I am their mistress." She told them, smirking.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Zack asked, getting into his battle position. Cloud followed the other's example and readied his own weapon.

"I, my dear boy, am Maleficent: Mistress of All Evil!" She shouted to the heavens, as if it was supposed to impress her adversaries.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say lady." Zack smirked.

"Insolent boy. How dare you speak to me like that?" She said. Her anger was starting to show as she spoke.

"Hmm, it seems the Mistress of All Evil has a bit of a temper." Zack turned his attention to his friend and chuckled a bit. Cloud was staring at him like he was crazy.

"Uh, Zack. I don't think getting her angry is a good idea." Cloud could feel the Darkness radiating off of the lady and it seemed more potent than any regular enemy. But, Cloud could feel an even darker aura coming from somewhere within the castle.

"You would be wise to listen to your friend, boy." Maleficent suggested.

"Fine." Zack rolled his eyes but then smirked once more as he reassured his grip on the _Buster Sword_. "How about we cut the chit-chat and get to the part where I kick your butt?" He said before he ran forward as fast as he could.

When Zack was a couple of feet from the fountain, he jumped high up into the air and dove down on the witch. Maleficent raised her staff into the air and conjured up a dome of Dark magic. Zack's sword hit hard on the dome and sparks flew as he tried to destroy the barrier with all his might.

"Insolent child. Do you honestly think you can defeat me? Me, the Mistress of All Evil?" She yelled as she glared daggers at the raven-haired man.

"I don't think." Zack said as he took his right hand away from the hilt of his weapon and raised it behind his back, in a fist. "I know!" The fist started glowing a brownish aura before he drove it down on the barrier. The fist fazed right through the Dark Shield and he was able to punch her in her left side. He then used the sword to push himself back a few feet from her.

The attack knocked the wind out of her and she dropped her staff onto the floor. Zack took the opportunity to re-grip his sword and drove the sword at her injured side.

Just as he was about to attack her, she vanished in a black smoke. This caused Zack to become surprised for a while before his emotion changed to that of annoyance.

"Get back here, you coward." Zack called out. Just as he said that, a Corridor of Darkness appeared at the foot of the door with the Heartless Insignia on it. And, low and behold, Maleficent stepped out.

"I'm not a coward, you brat!" She spit out. "I just don't think you're worthy enough to fight someone of my caliber." She told him, moving her head in a snobbish fashion. This only fueled Zack's annoyance some more.

"So you're just going to back down?" He asked her.

"Of course not. I just think you should fight someone else." She told him, smiling before she disappeared into Darkness once again.

"Yeah? And who would that be?" Zack yelled out loud. Getting no response, he put the _Buster Sword_ back onto his back, the metal clip on his uniform holding it in place.

"Me." He heard someone say from behind him and then felt the pressure of cold steel on his neck. The tip of the sword was pressed to the left of his neck. "Showing your back to the enemy…Overconfidence will destroy you." The man behind him chastised Zack.

As he spoke, Zack put his hands up into the air, showing he was giving up. He turned his body around slowly to get a good look at his opponent. The sight caused him to gasp in surprise. "Wh-what is this?" Zack asked as he stared into the eyes of none other than Sephiroth, who was smirking at Zack's look of astonishment.

Suddenly, Sephiroth brought _Masamune_ back and Zack barely had enough time to unhook the _Buster Sword_ on his back and deflect Sephiroth's attacks. There was a reason Sephiroth was the top member of their Organization; he was a remarkable swordsman that had Zack's hands trembling with the weight of the attack.

"Damn it, what are you doing?" Zack grunted as he tried to keep the block going.

"It's over." Sephiroth told him and then used a portion of his strength to send Zack flying towards the first floor of the room.

Before Zack was halfway to his destination, he put his gloved left hand and shot a **Firaga** spell in Sephiroth's direction. The three fireballs were homing in on the silver-haired man's form. He tried to move out of the way of the attack, but they followed him all over the room. He had no choice but to handle them. One of the fireballs was heading for his head and so he cut it down vertically. He blocked the one that was heading for his abdomen, but was unable to stop the third as it weaseled itself around Sephiroth's defenses and hit him square in the back. The flame exploded and surrounded his body in smoke.

As Zack was about to collide with the floor, he did a backflip and landed feet first on the floor, already getting into his fighting stance when he landed. It was a lifesaving move as Sephiroth used his wing to propel himself out of the smoke cloud and rushed at Zack. Sparks flew as both oversized blades clashed together.

"Why are you doing this?" Zack asked as he tried to push Sephiroth back.

"Because you're a disgrace and must be destroyed." Sephiroth said, blue eyes glowing as he talked.

Sensing a presence approaching, Sephiroth twisted his body a bit and managed to make Zack lose his balance. As Zack tried to regain his footing, Sephiroth blocked a downward slash with _Masamune_. Looking into Cloud's shocked eyes, Sephiroth smirked before he spoke. "How about we take this fight somewhere else?" He raised his voice so Zack could hear his statement as well.

Zack's face hardened as he composed himself and ran at the silver-haired man, screaming all the while. When he was close enough, Zack bended his elbows and attempted a horizontal slash at his opponent's back. Before the move could hit, however, they were engulfed by darkness. A second later, they were greeted by a changed environment.

No longer were they trapped inside a dark, creepy room, but were instead outside a giant building with 20 foot gladiator statues guarding the entrance. To the opposite side of the door to the coliseum, drapes hung on a brick wall, names embroidered on the cloth.

As Zack looked at his surroundings in shock, he managed to slip on the sand beneath his feet and fell over onto the ground. Looking up, he caught a glimpse of Sephiroth's eyes before he threw Cloud down, who let out an oof as he hit the ground next to Zack.

Zack attempted to get into a kneeling position and gripped the hilt of the laying _Buster Sword_ with his right hand. "Cloud." He whispered to his blond friend, still looking at Sephiroth's intimidating form. Cloud looked at him, giving him his undivided attention. "I need you to go into the Coliseum behind us and ask for a man named Hercules."

"But, what about you?" Cloud asked, nervous. Would Zack be able to handle Sephiroth all by himself until he returned with Hercules?

"I'll be fine. But, I need you to hurry and find Hercules. Think you can do that?" Using his peripheral vision, Zack was able to see Cloud nodding in confirmation. "Ok, so on the count of three." Zack said.

"One…" Zack whispered while gripping his weapon even tighter, if that was even possible.

"Two…" Cloud was getting ready to bolt at his cue.

"Three!" Zack yelled out and threw himself at Sephiroth, weapon heading straight for his chest, but the silver-haired man managed to move _Masamune_ and block the attack.

As this was going on, Cloud turned his body around and ran towards the entrance that would lead him into the vestibule. He was a couple of feet from the stairs when a giant barrier appeared and blocked him from getting through.

"I don't think so." Sephiroth had said before his left hand flashed a silver color. Behind him, Zack could hear the pounding of Cloud's fists on the barrier. "While the big boys handle this, why don't you play with some toys?" Sephiroth raised his voice so Cloud could hear him. His gloved left hand then flashed a black color and several Heartless started surrounding the blond. Zack glared up at the man.

"Did you actually think your plan would work?" Sephiroth mocked before he applied pressure on his long sword and threw the black-haired man back, attacking him at blinding speed while maneuvering Zack to the wall.

Sensing the dark-user's motives, Zack sidestepped the next attack and drove the hilt of his weapon onto the point where wing met his shoulder. Zack smirked when he heard a groan coming from his enemy and then made a horizontal slash on Sephiroth's side. The attack landed and blood poured from the wound Zack had made.

Just as he was about to swing again, Sephiroth disappeared in a flurry of feathers and reappeared behind him. "Good job; you actually wounded me." Sephiroth whispered in his ear. "Guess it's about time I stop holding back." He said and Zack barely had enough time to block it.

The force of _Masamune_ hitting the _Buster Sword_ was so great that Zack was pushed back a couple of meters. He was lucky to have blocked it; who knows what kind of damage that would've packed. But we didn't run away unscathed. He rolled his shoulder to get the pain to go away.

But he didn't have much time to get rid of the ache as Sephiroth was on him in a second. The silver-haired man dashed past his opponent and as he did, slashed Zack's body up a couple of times. With the blinding speed, Zack was unable to defend himself and yelled out as he crumbled to the ground.

"Pitiful." He heard Sephiroth say and then he felt the tip of _Masamune_ on the cut on his cheek. "And to think Angeal passed down his sword to a weakling like you? Pathetic, just like him." This one comment caused unbridled fury to take over Zack's emotions and rational thought.

Without thinking, Zack raised his left hand into the air and threw a **Fire** spell at Sephiroth. With such close-range, the fireball exploded in a puff of smoke. As it cleared, Sephiroth seemed uninjured, but Zack wasn't focusing on hurting him. Once the smoke disappeared completely, Zack stood on his feet a couple of meters from where Sephiroth stood, hands white as he gripped his mentor's sword as tightly as possible.

"How dare you say such a thing about Angeal?" Zack asked before using his **Dash** ability to stand right in front of the older man. "He was your _friend_!" Zack yelled before swinging the _Buster Sword_ down, only to have it blocked. But that didn't deter Zack's morale. "And you were _his_!" He used all his strength to throw Sephiroth high into the air before leaping right after him.

Sephiroth used his **Godspeed **attack and swung his sword to throw multiple energy waves at Zack. As they reached him, Zack used the _Buster Sword_ to deflect the energy waves while glaring up at his once long-time friend. When the threat of the energy waves was gone, Zack flew right up to Sephiroth, only to stop a meter away.

Bringing the _Buster Sword_ up to his shoulder, he put both hands on the _Buster Sword_ and concentrated. He remembered the time when Sephiroth taught him this move and the silver-haired man was about to regret doing so. He activated his **Octaslash** Limit Break. The attack let him deal 8 consecutive hits on the almighty Sephiroth and the final hit caused Sephiroth to descend a bit at the force of the attack.

Zack then smirked as he put the _Buster Sword_ on his back so he could activate yet another Limit Break. Delving through his memory, he remembered when Genesis had taunted him extensively about the power of SOLDIER, causing Zack to accidently use it on him during their training session. Bringing his left hand up, he conjured up a magical seal that surrounded Sephiroth, making him unable to move. Seeing the fly trapped in his web, Zack used his **Apocalypse** Limit Move and sent a barrage of **Thunder **and **Lightning **attacks at the man. The attacks managed to deal a lot of damage and ruffle up Sephiroth's usual calm demeanor.

"You'll pay for that." Sephiroth said before using the wing on his back to propel himself at Zack like a jet. Their blades met in a torrent of sparks and neither was giving up on winning the bout of strength.

"Give it up, Sephiroth. You won't win." Zack promised before tapping into his inner strength and effectively pushing Sephiroth back an inch.

"If I can't defeat you in a duel…" Sephiroth started before turning his attention downwards to where Cloud had just defeated the final Heartless. The poor kid was using his sword to keep him up and his breathing was uneven as he took a rest. Zack caught sight of Sephiroh's intentions and his eyes widened. "…then how about I take my consolation price." He said before he broke away and dived down like a missile.

Zack didn't hesitate as he dived down after Sephiroth, all thoughts on saving his best friend from the one-winged demon. He willed his body forward and tapped into his magical reserves as he cast **Graviga** on himself, making his body go down quicker. As he passed Sephiroth, he knew he wouldn't be able from stopping the crazy man from killing somebody. He just had to make sure that guy wasn't Cloud.

_Sorry, Aerith. I guess I won't be able to show you the worlds like I promised. _He thought, sighing as he did, but then his face hardened in resolution as he pushed Cloud out of range from the silver-haired man's **Hell's Gate** attack.

As he did, he saw Cloud's confused face and that changed to terror as he heard the flapping of a wing heading toward them. All Zack could do was gave him a reassuring smile before his face contorted in absolute pain as _Masamune_ ripped right through his stomach and come out on the other side. He could barely feel himself being pushed forward until his back hit a wall. Looking up he could see the glow of Sephiroth's blue eyes as they stared at him and the victorious grin his enemy had on his face. He tried attacking, but quickly noticed he must've dropped his sword somewhere as he didn't have it in his possession.

"Tried to play the hero, I see." Sephiroth taunted the wounded warrior in front of him.

This caused Zack to spit at the taunting demon and covered the silver-haired man in the crimson color of blood. Seeing Sephiroth's angry look caused Zack to smirk at him before he yelled out when Sephiroth turned his sword 90 degrees to the right before pulling it out of his body. He then grabbed a hold of Zack's spiky hair and held him up.

"Goodbye, Zack Fair." Sephiroth said before pulling _Masamune_ back and getting ready to drive it through Zack's body again. He was about to do so when he felt the tip of the _Buster Sword_ upon his neck.

"Let him go, Sephiroth." Cloud said angrily. He would be damned if he let someone like Sephiroth kill his best friend without a fight. Especially since said best friend was in this situation because of him.

"So, it seems the kid has finally grown a backbone. Alright, you win." Sephiroth said as he let go of Zack's hair, causing him to fall down on the ground in a pool of his own blood. "It's not like he'll last much longer, anyway. Oh, and before I forget, I have a present for you." Sephiroth said before disappearing.

Seeing him gone, Cloud crouched down beside his friend to check the extent of his wound. Zack's face was scrunched up in pain, his breathing was uneven and blood was gushing from where Sephiroth stabbed him.

"Don't worry, buddy. I'll just cast **Cure **on you and everything will be fine." Cloud assured him as he started charging the aforementioned spell. His hand began to glow a warm green color as he did so. When he was going to transfer it to his friend, however, the spell failed to work.

"What the—?" Cloud asked. Trying again, he got the same result as before.

"Why isn't it working?" Cloud was panicking now; more and more blood was surrounding Zack's body.

"Si—"Zack whispered, trying to tell the blond something.

"What?" Cloud asked as he leaned down so he could hear better.

"Si-Silence." Zack managed to get out and then Cloud understood what Sephiroth meant about giving him a present. When they had been dropped into the dungeon back in Hollow Bastion, they had lost all of their provisions and so neither had an **Antidote **to get rid of the status ailment.

Cloud's hands became fists as his anger got the better of him. "Damn it!" He yelled before he banged one of his fists on the floor, feeling completely helpless. "That bastard!" He cursed the silver-haired man.

"You called?" He heard the taunting voice of Sephiroth coming from behind him and he turned to see the bastard hovering a few feet away.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud screamed as he full out ran after the man who had caused them so many problems, _Buster Sword___held tightly in his right hand.

Cloud started out with an attack Zack had taught him one day during their training lessons to help him pass the entry exam to get into SOLDIER **(1)**: **Vital Slash**. Putting as much energy into the attack, Cloud was able to hit Sephiroth on his chest, creating a shallow gash. He then followed it up by using a horizontal slash to make another shallow gash on his gut. For some reason, Sephiroth wasn't trying to deflect or even block.

"Why won't you fight back?" Cloud yelled as he attacked again, wounding the silver-haired man's left shoulder. He didn't even flinch.

"That's because I'm not there. I'm over here." He heard behind him and all of a sudden the man in front of him disappeared into Darkness. Cloud then turned around to see Sephiroth standing over Zack's body, crushing the black-haired man's chest with his metal boot, causing the man on the ground to groan in pain.

Cloud took a step forward to rush towards the two when he froze at seeing Sephiroth add pressure on his foot, earning yet another painful groan from Zack.

"Come any closer and I'll crush him into submission." Sephiroth warned. Cloud had no choice but to bring his foot backwards a bit and dropped the _Buster Sword_ to his side as if to say he was surrendering. "That's better. Now, I have a proposition for you." Sephiroth told him, effectively getting Cloud's attention.

"What is it?" Cloud asked, trying to keep his anger in check.

"If you pledge your allegiance to me and give in to the Darkness, then I'll heal your little friend here." He motioned down to Zack's unmoving form. "You better decide quickly; I don't know how long he'll last in his state."

"Do-Don't do it, Cl-Cloud." He barely heard Zack say. He winced as he saw Sephiroth apply more pressure on Zack's body, but this time Zack didn't say anything.

_He must've blacked out_. Cloud thought and that made the decision for him. "Alright!" Cloud told Sephiroth and then bent his head forward. "I'll do it."

"Perfect." Sephiroth said as he walked over to stand right in front of the blond. He then raised his left hand up and it became engulfed in dark energy, giving Cloud a sadistic grin as he did so.

Cloud yelled out in pain as he felt the hand full of dark energy stab him right where his heart was supposed to be. Cloud could feel the powers of darkness start to invade his body and empower him with unimaginable power. He screamed out in pain as he felt the fingers on his left hand elongate to become claws and a large black demonic wing coming from behind his back.

Just as the darkness started to warp his mind and transform him into a power-hungry being, Sephiroth's hand was taking out of his body and the power transfer remained incomplete. Cloud shook his head as he looked to see Zack using Cloud's SOLDIER regulated sword to stab Sephiroth in his back, which had gone right through Sephiroth's body. Taking in Zack's posture, he could tell that he was having trouble keeping himself up.

Sephiroth started growling like a wild animal as he reached behind him to pull out the sword. He then turned around and grabbed a hold of Zack's collar and threw him across the area and onto the brick wall. Cloud heard the sound of something breaking as Zack hit the wall and then the black-haired man slid down onto the ground. He stared at Zack's prone form for a second before he got into a battle stance and faced down the bad guy.

"What are you doing? We had a deal!" Cloud reminded him.

"Well, it seems that the deal is off." Sephiroth told him while glaring down at him.

"But, I took in the Darkness." Cloud told him exasperatedly.

"Yes, but your friend over there stabbed me and you're standing up against me. That nulls the terms of our agreement." Sephiroth explained. Seeing Cloud's angered face, he grinned. "But, don't worry; I'm not completely heartless." He said before raising his hand and casting a spell on Zack. The black-haired man started to glow a black and red aura and then large white numbers appeared above his head.

"What did you do, Sephiroth?" Cloud asked as Zack's breaths became shallow.

"I'm just putting him out of his misery." Sephiroth responded.

"No!" Cloud yelled out before running after Sephiroth. As he swung on the silver-haired man, Sephiroth vanished in a flurry of feathers, leaving the two SOLDIER operatives alone. Ever since Cloud got his powers, he's been able to sense a person's Darkness a mile away, allowing him to see where they were. Based on this, Cloud knew that Sephiroth was gone as he couldn't feel his dark presence.

Cloud moved toward his best friend and moved him so that he was laying down face-up. Looking down at Zack's pale skin and shallow breathing, Cloud understood that it was too late for him. Tears welled up in Cloud's eyes as he looked at Zack with sorrow and anger.

"Why did you do that?" Cloud asked for an explanation. "It was almost over and then he would've healed you."

Zack gave Cloud a small smile as he tried to answer. "We both know he wouldn't have followed through. And, besides, I wasn't about to let you become a monster like him just to save me." Zack answered.

Looking around, Cloud saw that the barrier had vanished the second Sephiroth did. "Just hang in there, Zack. I can go and get some help. Maybe someone can—"He was stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning his attention back on his friend, he saw Zack shaking his head slowly.

"It's too late for me, buddy." Zack told him, a sad smile gracing his lips. Looking down, he noticed that Cloud had placed the _Buster Sword_ right next to him. Grabbing the giant sword, he brought it to his face. "Now, where have I seen this before?" He asked himself as he gave a small chuckle. Seeing Cloud's confusion, he placed it in Cloud's hand.

"Zack, no, this is your sword." Cloud tried to return the giant blade back to Zack.

Zack shook his head and pushed on Cloud's hand. "This is _yours_ now." He told him. "You're going to live for the both of us, you hear me? You mustn't be burdened by the past, but look towards the future. Make each second count because you don't know when it's going to be your last." Zack chuckled a bit at this.

Cloud's tears started to flow down his cheeks as he heard the speech. "This is all my fault. If only I was stronger, I would've been able to help you fight him off and then you wouldn't be in this mess." Cloud blamed himself.

"What did I just say?" Zack asked, a bit angry. "Don't blame yourself for this. It's not your fault. Everyone dies sometime during their lives; it's natural. It's just my time to go, I guess. So, stop your belly-aching and smile." Zack said.

Cloud managed to give Zack a sad smile before he used his shoulder to dry away his tears. "You're a goof, you know that?" Cloud tried joking, causing Zack to let out a laugh.

"That's me!" He said, smiling. His smile then disappeared as he looked at Cloud seriously. "Hey, Cloud?" Zack asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favor?"

"Anything." Cloud nodded.

"Take care of Aerith for me."

"With my life." Cloud reassured his friend. It was getting harder and harder to breathe, but he had one more thing to ask of his friend.

"Also, tell her that I love her with all my heart, and that I always will. But, tell her that she shouldn't stay sad forever and for her to move on and be happy." Zack said. Though the thought of her being with someone else brought pain to his heart, he'd rather have her happy with someone else than sad.

"I will, don't worry." He told him.

"Good." Zack said as he closed his eyes and smiled. He managed to breath in one more shallow breath before it was over. Well, at least he went with a smile on his face…

Seeing that Zack's breathing had stopped, Cloud shakily moved his index and middle fingers onto the pulse point on his neck to see if he had a pulse. Finding none, Cloud's restraints broke as tears flowed freely down his face and he let out a loud scream of anger and sorrow towards the heavens for taking Zack away.

Remembering Zack's words to him, Cloud stood up from his crouched position and brought the _Buster Sword _with him. Looking back down at Zack's unmoving body, he could almost believe that the First Class was just taking a nap. Giving his friend a smile, he whispered to him one more phrase, "Goodnight, Zack."

He suddenly felt a cold presence coming from behind him, breaking him out of his reverie. Turning around, Cloud came face to face with a blue skinned man that wore a black toga and had blue flames for hair.

"Tsk, tsk. What a way to go." The mystery man said as he looked down at Zack.

"Who are you?" Cloud asked as he got into a battle position.

"Whoa there, hotshot." The man said as he held his hands up in surrender. "Watch where you're pointing that thing. Besides, I have a proposition for you."

"You reek of Darkness. Tell me why I shouldn't just walk away?" Cloud asked, still in his battle stance.

"Because I can bring your friend back." The man said, smirking.

Cloud's eyes widened but he composed himself and glared at the man. "That's impossible." Cloud told him.

"Impossible, you say? Well, not for me." As he finished his statement, he snapped his fingers and a white appeared in Cloud's empty hand. "Hades, Lord of the Dead, at your service." Hades said as he outstretched his hand for Cloud to shake. Seeing that Cloud was skeptical, Hades grabbed a hold of his hand and shook it up and down.

Cloud brought his hand back as if he had been burned. "What's the catch?" Cloud asked, skeptically.

"You'll just have to do one job for me. Then, I'll bring your friend back to the land of the living." Hades promised. "So, do we have a deal?" Hades asked as he outstretched his hand once again.

Looking down at Zack's still form, Cloud didn't have to think about the proposal all that much. Though Zack said it wasn't his fault, Cloud knew he would always feel guilty and if he didn't take the God's deal, then he would never forgive himself.

"Deal." Cloud said as he grabbed Hades' hand. As they shook on it, he saw their handshake glow a red color before the glow disappeared.

"Great!" Hades exclaimed before putting his arm around Cloud's neck and leading him towards the Coliseum's exit. As the large doors closed behind him and he was transported to the Underworld, Cloud promised he would bring Zack back at all costs.

**End Flashback:**

Cloud finished up the story by telling Aerith about how he had to fight Hercules to the death and though he was fine with that, he wasn't about to kill a child. Even if that child _was _the Keyblade Wielder.

"So, you see? It's my fault. He's dead because of me." Cloud's hands became fists as he tried to hold the tears back. He needed to be strong for Aerith right now.

Feeling the soft touch of Aerith's hands on his fists, Cloud looked up to see tears flowing down her face, but there was a sad smile on her lips.

"Cloud, remember what Zack said? It's not your fault. You tried your hardest to keep him alive and even made a deal with the devil to bring him back. You're a true friend and I bet he was grateful to have had you as his friend." Aerith told him.

"And I was lucky to have his as a friend. Wait, no, not just a friend. He was like a brother to me. He taught me everything I knew about fighting and honor. Guess that's why I couldn't hurt Sora that much." Cloud said. Looking back up at Aerith, he smiled at her. "He loved you, you know?"

"I know." She nodded. "And I loved him back with all my heart." She said but then she stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "How dare he tell me to forget about him and move on?" She asked in mock anger.

This caused Cloud to chuckle at her antics. "He just wants you to be happy." He told her.

"I know." She sighed. "It's just; he's one of a kind. I'll never find someone who'll make me as happy or laugh as much as he did." She then used her hands to get rid of the wetness on her cheeks and patted down her dress. "Well, we should be heading back. The others must be worried about us." She said before heading towards the door.

"Hey, Aerith?" Cloud called the girl in pink.

"Hmm?" Aerith asked as she turned around to give him her full attention.

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here." He told her. "After all, if Zack was my brother, then you would be my sister. And I wouldn't want my sister to take this burden on her own."

"Thank you, Cloud." She said before tears welled up in her eyes. She was about to wipe them away, when Cloud used his fingers to get rid of the residue. He moved the bangs from her face as he answered.

"No problem." He told her before they both left the library and towards their friends.

**Present Day:**

Aerith smiled as she was brought back to the present. _Brothers, indeed_. She thought. Zack and Cloud were so much alike. Their appearance, for one thing, was similar between them. But that wasn't all; they both cared deeply for their friends and kept their honor dear to them.

Looking up, she noticed the position of the sun and saw how late it was. It must've been 6 o'clock as the sun was beginning to set. She looked at the beautiful colors of the sunset for a while before standing up and getting rid of any dirt on her dress.

"Well, I guess I better get going, Zack." She told the sword. She swore that at times she could feel his presence within the large sword, but today it's been quiet.

She was about to leave when she heard the distinct sound of a Gummi Ship heading her way. Squinting, she saw the familiar shape of the _Highwind_ Gummi Ship flying over the treetops, looking for a spot to land. Only one person she knew had that kind of Gummi…

"Over here!" She screamed as she made her way over and directed the driver to land on a barren piece of the forest, far away from the trees so they wouldn't be destroyed in the landing.

Once the metal walkway lowered itself, she climbed it to head to the cargo bay. Before she made it through the door, she nearly collided with a taller man that had spiky blond hair and wore a black robe.

"Cloud!" Aerith greeted as she gave him a bear hug.

"Hey, Aerith." He told her. He sounded strangely happy.

"Hmm, based on your attitude, you must've defeated Sephiroth." Aerith guessed.

"I'm not sure if I did, but that's not why I'm happy." He told her, causing her to cock her head in confusion.

"Then what's making you so happy?" She asked.

"Come on, I'll show you." He said before grabbing a hold of her hand and leading her along.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked as she was dragged along.

"You'll see." He told her.

"**I can't believe I made myself cry as I wrote the end of the flashback." JAM said as he blew his nose into a tissue. "I hoped you liked the chapter and I'll be getting the next one done as soon as I can. Oh, and sorry about the cliffhanger." JAM grinned sheepishly. **

"**Don't forget to Review." Aerith said as she dried her cheeks with a tissue. **

**(1) In this story, Cloud is a Third-Class SOLDIER operative. I know he never made it into SOLDIER, but after seeing his design from KH1, I saw that he was wearing a SOLDIER uniform, so I had to try and make it sort of canon.**


End file.
